The recent “Black Panther” blockbuster has sparked many discussions between economists, historians, and other brainiacs who don’t usually apply their intellectual prowess to the heroics of fictional pajama people.

The attention is well-deserved. The latest installment from Disney’s Marvel Studios continues to break record after record. Perhaps the biggest one so far is being the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time in the U.S., surpassing $1.2 billion at the global box office.